Social network sites 'monitored'

Jaw dropping news this morning as I turn on the television and am told that social networks are to be monitored by the UK government. Civil liberties campaigners have called the proposal a "snoopers' charter". It is not so much the monitoring of social networks, but rather the issue of unintended consequences or "expandable mutability " whereby surveillance technology intended for one purpose ends up being use for another. Given the rise of techniques such as behavioural advertising and monitoring at ISP/network level surely more user and consumer caution is needed? More from the BBC here.